Try and react to complaints promptly and pass them on to our staff as soon
as possible.
Health and Safety
Please discourage students from bringing flip-flop footwear. This offers no
protection from broken glass or other discarded sharp objects.
Our courses are intensive, and with the change of diet and routine, students
with specific medical requirements, e.g. self-managing diabetics, need to be
particularly careful in monitoring their condition during their stay.
Try and structure the students' free time as much as possible. If you allow
students to leave the hotel after work in the evening, organise a signing-out
book.
Everyone in the group is entitled to a good night's sleep and students
should be given a time for 'lights out' at night and encouraged to honour this.
This helps to ensure everyone is fresh in the morning. Accidents are more likely
to happen when students and staff are tired and stressed.
A 'no smoking' policy for the hotel bedrooms and balconies is recommended.
Leisure Time
Try and provide some leisure time for your students, ideally before and
after the evening follow-up session.
If you can provide one evening at the end of the course that is 'special',
this can contribute markedly to a thoroughly enjoyable trip. A tapas
meal in Sitges comes highly recommended, with as much as you can eat and
drink!
Many students (and staff) appreciate some time for sight-seeing or shopping
in Barcelona during their stay.
Security of money and valuables
Put all passports and the bulk of the students' money into the hotel safe
upon arrival. Bring plastic wallets for storage.
Please advise us separately by e-mail or fax when a deposit cheque has been
sent or a bank transfer made.
Spending Money
The decision on how much spending money to bring will vary from student to
student. In our experience, 50-100 euros for a stay of 5 days is more than
sufficient, and allows for the purchase of presents and additional food and
drink during the day if desired. Many groups leave the decision on whether to
book a tapas meal for their final evening until the mid-point of their stay. You
may prefer to ask students to bring a little extra money to allow for such
'extras'.
Student Behaviour
Try and keep a tight control on student alcohol intake. The legal age limit
in Catalonia for the purchase and consumption of alcohol in public places is 18
years. We recommend that you have a 'no-alcohol' policy with a possible
exception made for an end-of-course meal in Sitges,
where the restaurant staff will provide strong support in discouraging
'binge-drinking'.
Please encourage students to be punctual.
Maintaining a system that ensures students honour the 'lights out' time at
night enables everyone to get the sleep to which they are entitled. See
'Health and Safety' section above.
It is important that students respect the needs of other guests staying in
the hotel. The slamming of doors, shouting in the corridors and between
balconies tend to quickly generate complaints and we would recommend that you
advise the group about this prior to arrival. Maintaining a 'no visitors' rule
for hotel bedrooms helps to significantly reduce noise levels. Students are able
to socialise in the hotel lounge and bar area.
